Some families in NSW are waiting up to ten years to secure an affordable home as the social housing waitlist blows out to nearly 60,000.
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The Community Housing Industry Association NSW is calling for urgent action on the housing crisis ahead of next month's election.
It said there are 57,750 vulnerable families and individuals waiting for a safe, affordable social housing property, with the wait in some areas now stretching to a decade.
The figure is a 7822 jump from 49,928 in 2021.
The association's CEO Mark Degotardi said too many people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
"Interest rates and rental prices are soaring, while vacancy rates are plummeting," he said on Thursday.
"These figures should be a wake-up call to every politician in this state.
"You cannot continue to sit idly by while tens of thousands of everyday families and individuals struggle for the basic necessity of housing."
The Community Housing Industry Association is hosting a Sydney Town Hall summit on Thursday with politicians, industry leaders and the community to find a solution to the housing crisis.
Unless urgent action was taken by the next NSW government, the housing crisis would continue to worsen, Mr Degotardi said.
"We've had years of neglect by both sides of politics," he said.
"This emergency will be hard to solve, and we must start now. Investment in social and affordable housing delivered by community housing providers is the key," he said.
Australian Associated Press
